Blood Ties
by Blood Russian
Summary: Jack leaves home to find that New York is not what he expected it to be. It's not long before secrets from his past start rising and he's left to deal with the consequences of actions he had no control over. The Reagan family is not what he expects. His and their lives are now forever turned upside down. Pre-Series. Joe is still alive.
1. Chapter 1

Time Line: 2002-2003  
Joe is alive as is Mary Reagan (their mother)

Ages:  
Bobby Mercer: 29  
Jack Mercer: 18  
Jamie: 18  
Joe: 26  
Danny: 32  
Erin:30

Kids:  
Nikki: 10  
Jack: 6  
Sean: 2

* * *

**Blood Ties**

New York is not how Jack pictured it to be and yet it was as familiar to him as Detroit was. He felt a strange since nostalgia and homecoming even though he had never stepped foot in New York before today.

He walks slowly own the bustling streets, taking in all the sights and buildings taller than any he had ever seen back home. It's cold out. The wind whips at his face and his thinning jacket is not doing much to help protect him from the incoming snow storm. Perhaps coming to New York in the middle of November was not the best of ideas but he was used to the cold. He could handle a little snow.

Jack kept walking until his stomach growled in protest from lack of nourishment and demanded he stopped to eat. He sighed and looked around until he spotted a small diner on the corner of the street. The decor on the outside was bright red and welcoming. A neon sign was hanging in the window with the words 'Half-Priced Warm Winter Soup Sundays". Jack had never been so glad it for the weekday he always dreaded back when he was in school.

The diner was a nice change from the harsh outside world. The heat was running and warm air encompassed is body. The smell of homemade chicken soup and coffee was strong. His stomach growled again. He shrugged his way out of his coat and sat up front in the stool seats. A tall, older woman in her mid forties made her way over to him with a great smile on her face and pencil pad in hand.

"Welcome to Frank's, sonny boy. My name's Sal. What can I get you?"

Jack was a little surprised by the hospitality; his brothers had taunted him with the bad reputations of New Yorkers. "Uh, can I get the soup please and a coffee?"

"You sure can, sonny boy. Is that all?" She asked as she wrote down is order. Jack nodded his head and watched as she turned around and stuck the note onto the order rack. She peered down at him curiously when she turned back to him. "You know, I've lived in New York all my life and I can tell who's a new comer from a mile away. So where are you from sonny boy?"

Jack was a little weary but figured it could do no harm to tell. "Detroit, born and raised."

Sal raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Really? That's where my husband's from. Came up here about twenty years ago on a big rig delivering packages, saw me and decided to stay. Well, that's what he's says. His truck broke down and he had to stay a week before he could leave. That's when he met me while I was on my shift down here."

"You worked here for over twenty years?"

She smiled again before turning back to the food window. "Well of course. I own the joint. Frank was my pop before he passed a few years back."

Jack nodded his head in understanding and said thanks as she set down his hot soup and coffee.

"So where you headed, sonny? Lookin' to stick around for a while or just passing through?"

"Sticking around, that's the plan. Gotta find my new roommate first though." He sipped at his soup gingerly. It still manage to burn is tongue.

"Where's the place at? I'll give you directions."

He told her and watched as her eyes grew wide. "What?"

"I'd be careful around those parts, sonny. That neighborhood is dangerously close to Bitter End."

"Bitter end?" The door bells jingled.

She didn't have time to answer before a strong, deep voice cut in. "Now Sal, I hope you aren't scaring off new comers from our fine city."

Sal laughed and grinned. "Now well isn't it the fine boys in blue. Should have been expecting you two, you've been coming here all week."

Fine boys in blue? Jack turned around and felt his heart speed at what he saw. Jack had grown up surrounded by cops, with a brother like Bobby it was given but that didn't mean he wasn't on the lookout for a shake down. Being a Mercer gave every cop he came into contact with a reason to have assumptions about him and how he should be. Being a Mercer taught him not to trust cops. Not even as a kid, they were always of no use.

"Don't tell me you're tired of our faces already, Sal. That hurts." The first cop is tall, taller than Jack maybe, with short dirty blonde hair not unlike his own, and blue eyes. His face seems familiar and kind to Jack. Like he's met the man before. He has a strong jaw and high cheeks bones. He's what Ma would call a fine looking young man.

"Oh shut it, Joe. You know I love all the boys in blue." Sal laughs again. "Tell me when you're ready to order. I got another table to ten to real quick."

She wanders off and the cop turns to him. The cop is still smiling and holds out a hand. "Hi there. Hope old Sal didn't scare you too much."

Jack slowly shakes hands with the man, his mother hadn't raised him to be rude but he could already hear Bobby's yells of betrayal from where ever he might be.

"Judging by the luggage your new here or least just coming back, am I right?"

"Yeah, just got here."

The man never stopped smiling at him; it seemed to be warm and sincere. Not like the false smiles he got from cops back home when they wanted something from him or thought he was up to no good.

"Well welcome to New York. Greatest city that ever came to be." He paused to wave Sal back over. "The name's Joe Reagan and this is my partner Lou. You ever in trouble just look for the blue uniform."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Jack muttered to himself. He had absentmindedly finished his soup and was only left with his cooling coffee. He didn't have much money left for more so he picked up things and grabbed his guitar.

It looked like it was time to find the apartments near Bitter End.

Jack stepped out into the cold weather and looked for a yellow cab. This was it. This was his new home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Blood Ties**

Joe drove to his parents' house lost in thought and with a headache forming at the back of his head.

His head was all over the place. The boy at the diner had struck a chord with him. There was something about the kid that he just couldn't shake. The boy had barely said anything to him and somehow Joe got stuck trying to figure him out.

Joe parked his car on the curb and made his way up the walk way. His childhood home was a permanent fixture of comfort in his life and perhaps being home would help clear his head. He only hoped it would put him at ease from the stressful week. He opened the door to be greeted by the warm smile of his mother.

"Joe, dear." Mary hugged him tight and rubbed his back soothingly. "I'm glad you could make it. I know you must be tired from picking up extra tours."

"Its fine, mom. All I need is a home cooked meal and I'll be right back on my feet."

Mary frowned worriedly at her son. "Alright, dear. Just make sure you don't over work yourself. The last thing we need is you tripping over your own feet."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me, mom. I feel right at home." Joe joked.

"Oh, hush." She swatted him lightly with the hand towel she held in her hands. "Come on into the dining room. Everyone's already settled in."

There was never a quiet moment at the Reagan family dinners and tonight was no different. His family was all tucked close together chatting and laughing together. Thanksgiving was only a couple weeks away and the thought having a day off put everyone in a good mood. Danny and Erin were sitting across from one another, debating once again, over the laws that seemed to have no actual use. Danny who had just been promoted to detective acted as if he was on top of the world and Erin was also on a feel-good high of winning six straight cases, there would be no loser tonight with the two of them. Jamie had his nose in a book and was absentmindedly playing with two-year old Sean. Nikki was trying to get Jack to eat his greens and Linda watched amused as the girl tried and failed.

Danny looked up from his debate with Erin and waved him over to the seat next to him. "Look who finally decided to show up. Come on Joe, do some good and help back me up here."

"Danny I learned enough as a kid that getting into it with you guys is never a good idea."

Joe sat down and began piling food onto his plate, ignoring the jibes from his older brother. His mom was still bustling around in the kitchen before coming back in to set down the desert to cool. She swatted at Danny's creeping hands.

"You know better, Daniel. Not until it's cool and everyone else is done eating."

Joe felt several pairs of eyes land on him. He slowly lifted up a large fork load of mashed potatoes and green beans and crammed it into his mouth. He looked around expectantly and with a mouthful of food asked, "What?"

"Hurry up Uncle Joe!" Jack yelled. "Or it's gonna get cold!"

Joe smiled and shoved another large bite in.

His mother sighed and 'tsk'ed at him. "Joe..."

Joe sat back and watched as his family devoured his mom's famous homemade Rhubarb pie. His gaze kept wandering over to his little brother, Jamie. The boy from earlier that day was still stuck in his head and he couldn't shake the feeling of having seen him before. Jamie and the boy looked an awful lot like each other and judging by what other people said about him and Jamie looking so much alike, the same went for him. He had only spoke with the boy for a few minutes so it was odd to feel such a connection. He didn't understand what he was feeling.

It didn't take long for his father to comment on his oddly quiet state. Frank Reagan always had a knack for seeing thing most people ignored, and it helped that they were family.

"What's on your mind, Joe?" Frank asked thoughtfully but of course the question brought the rest of the table's attention on him.

"It's nothing dad. It's just that I met this kid today and something about him keeps bothering me."

"What is it about him that's bothering you?"

Joe shook his head, glanced over to Jamie who was looking at him with a fork in his mouth, and then back over to his father. "He felt familiar, even looked the part. Like he was one of our own."

"You've been glancing over at Jamie all night. Does he have anything to do with that?" Frank questions.

"He looks around Jamie's age. He reminded me of him. Just rolled into town."

Danny joins in, "Did you get his name? Maybe he's been here before."

Joe shakes his head. "No, just introduced myself. He looked a little weary around me and Lou, though. I don't think he likes cops all that much."

Danny laughed. "Does anyone?"

His mother, Mary, reached over and patted his arm. "Don't worry over it, dear. Probably just a feeling."

"If I followed every feeling I had, kid, I'd still be a rookie." Henry commented.

"Yeah, I guess so." Joe went along with the rest of them, ignoring the constant stream of thoughts about the boy. Even with his family's reassurance, he still felt uneasy and that he was missing something important.

He could already tell that it was going to be a long night.

After everything was said and done with dinner, and Erin and Danny had gone home with their families, Joe sat back on the couch relaxing with Jamie on the couch. He hadn't had the chance to spend time with his baby brother as of late and it wouldn't be long before Jamie headed off to college.

His grandfather came in and sat in the armchair across from them, a thick book in hand.

"What's that gramps?" Jamie asked looking up from the book he had been preoccupied with all night. Probably a reading assignment, Joe guessed.

"Just one of the family albums. It's been a while since I've looked through them."

Mary came up behind him. "Oh no. You like making me relive all those old fashion choices, don't you, Henry?"

"I would never do such a thing." He winked over at them as he opened the bulky photo album. "Now there's a handsome fellow. Your old man looked just like me when I was that age. I just wish I knew where he got the height from."

Jamie leaned over to look at the black and white photo of his dad holding a baby Danny. "Well, Danny certainty didn't get the height from him either."

Joe laughed along with his brother and their mother looked on at them shaking her head, but still wore a smile on her face. "Jamie, if I remember correctly, you were the one who was five-seven until your junior year in high school."

"Yeah, thought you were gonna be stuck there forever with Danny!" Joe teased his brother and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah, yeah." Jamie, who was still leaned over in reach of the photo album, turned the page only to freeze. The happiness from his face had receded and was instead replaced by a blank stare. His fingers hovered over one of bigger pictures tucked in the corner.

The warmth seemed to have left the room as they all took in what Jamie had rediscovered. Joe now remembered why this particular album had been left alone for so long. Joe looked up at his mom; her eyes were watery and her lips pressed tightly together. She turned away from the men in the room quickly.

"I'm going to finish cleaning up. Jamie make sure all your school work is done before you do anything else, dear. You still have school tomorrow."

"Mom..." Jamie whispered.

Grandpa shook his head and patted his youngest grandson's hand. "It's alright, kid. She'll be okay. It's just been awhile for her since she looked at these old things."

Joe wrapped his arm around Jamie's shoulders and rubbed at his arm to comfort him. "It's weird to think it's already been seventeen years. I wish could remember..."

Joe didn't want him to finish. "Yeah, I know kid."

In the silence of the living room, with his arm wrapped around his brother, Joe sighed with a new type of tiredness. It really was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Blood Ties**

Evelyn Mercer had always been a smart woman. Jack couldn't remember a time she had ever been wrong. So why he ignored her warnings of coming to New York, in her own words, wet behind the ears is lost to him.

The apartment he is staying at has no working heat and is the same size as his childhood bedroom. His old band mate, Chad, had obviously exaggerated about how 'awesome' it was. Chad was across the hall and had a constant stream of music playing and a slew of girls coming in and out of his apartment. Jack was unfortunate enough to live so close as he could hear their giggles and yelling all throughout the night as he tried to sleep.

Jack awoke the next morning shivering-despite wearing his jacket and gloves to bed-and feeling as if he hadn't slept a wink. Jack slowly sat up from the bed, stretching out his arms and legs lazily. He got up and walked over to the window, taking in the rundown buildings and snow covered streets. The snow was different from Detroit's own. It was gray here and reminded Jack of cigarette ash. There was a light rain turning the snow into mush and letting Jack discover that his window seal wasn't as tight as it should be, and there were drips of rain water slipping through.

If Bobby could see where he was living now, he would laugh in Jack's face. He had called Jack an idiot for wanting to move do far away from home. Even if Ma had assured that Bobby was just worried and was showing it in the only way he knew how, it still hurt when Bobby told him that he wouldn't last a month all by himself. That was the last time Jack spoke to Bobby before he left for a job mid-west and Jack to New York. But Jack was determined to prove him wrong. He knew it wouldn't be easy but he was going to do it without help and make something of himself. He might not have the Bobby's brawn but he was smart both in and off the street. New York was just a new stomping ground.

Jack didn't know how long it would be before Chad would set up a gig for the band, so he knew he had better get a job before he found himself back on the streets. Jack managed to graduate in the top ten of his class. Something both he and Evelyn were proud of. So it couldn't be too hard to come up with a good paying job that didn't require too much. At least that's what he hoped.

The first five places he went to that were near his job were not hiring so that left Jack having to walk into the busier parts of the city in the rain and cold. It didn't take long for Jack to realize that if you wanted a good job in New York City, you needed a college education. Something he didn't have. So that left him serving coffee at a local coffee shop that served donuts all day and was conveniently placed near a police station. Jack laughed when the owner told him.

It was a pretty average job but it beat most. It paid seven-fifty an hour and after nine o'clock it went up to nine bucks since the shop stayed open until one AM for the cops at the midnight shift. It was easy to say that Jack would still be managing to make better money than most people.

He was set to start at ten AM and since Jack had nothing left to do he figured he's wander the city a bit more. Everything was even bigger than he imagined and pictures just couldn't do the city justice. With a complementary coffee keeping his hands warm he set out to see the city that would be his new way of life.

New York City gave Jack either the welcomed anticipation that he was going to make it big sooner rather than later the sense of dread that he was just about to get mugged. He wasn't sure if it was just one or maybe both, but it excited and scared him. Even though it was different, it felt like home.

The streets were crowded and Jack had somehow managed to walk into an area fool of suits. Where he managed to bump into somebody and effectively knock down.

The stranger yelped as they hit the ground and Jack lost hold of his coffee. "Hey, weren't you taught to watch where you're going?"

Jack looked down to see a young girl, probably around ten or so, giving him a weak glare. Jack found and it funny. The girl frowned.

"Hey don't laugh at me!"

"Sorry," He held out a hand. She hesitated before taking it as if she was sizing him up to see if he was trust worthy. Jack briefly wondered if she grew up with brothers.

The girl squinted up at him. "You don't sound like you're from around here."

"I'm not." He told her. Jack looked down at her, observing her long dark hair and school uniform. There was a rip in her stockings and her knee was bleeding. She reminded him of someone but he couldn't place who. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

She smiled smugly, "Late arrival because I'm smart."

"If you're so smart how did you manage to bump into me?"

"You ran into me, remember?" She went back to ineffectively glaring at him. "And shouldn't you be in school? What are you sixteen?"

"Eighteen, smart one." It was Jack's turn to glare. All his life he was seen as younger than he was. Even when he had a fake ID no one believed him. "By the way, you're bleeding. Smart one."

She looked down at her left knee and groaned. "These were my favorite. I must've of done it when I tripped over the broken sidewalk."

"Still sure it was my fault?"

The girl huffed and walked over to an empty bench. She sniffed and Jack dreaded what he knew was to come but he couldn't leave her. His mother had taught him better than that. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a few napkins from the coffee shop.

"Here kid, use these." She looked up at him with wet eyes and grabbed the napkins and shyly mutters a soft, 'thanks'.

While she dabbed at her knee, she met his eyes and introduced herself. "I'm Nikki."

"Jack." Jack sometimes wished his mother hadn't taught him manners. His brothers had always said he was too nice for his own good. The girl, Nikki, was shivering and not wearing a coat. Jack knew exactly how much money he had in his pocket and wondered how much he would have left if he bought her something warm to drink from the cart coming their way. He pulled out the ten dollars and sixty-three cents from his pocket and waved the guy with cart over.

"How much for a hot chocolate?"

"Four bucks, kid." Bobby wasn't lying when he said New York was expensive. Jack gave the man the money and then handed the Styrofoam cup to Nikki.

"Here," He almost shoved it in her hands. "Why aren't you wearing a coat, smart one?"

"I left it in my mom's office. She's gone to get it real quick." She sipped at the cocoa. "Thank you."

Jack looked over to the clock in the middle of the park a little ways over. He had fifteen minutes before it was a half past nine. Time has escaped him and it was time to head back to his new job unless he wanted to be late. What a way to start.

"I gotta go, kid. Don't go running into anymore strangers." She stuck her tongue out at him as he turned and waved in parting.

Nikki watched the disappearing figure of the rather kind stranger as her mother finally manages to catch up to her.

"Who were you waving to, Nikki?"

"Just someone who bumped into me and bought me hot chocolate."

Her mother quirked a brow. "He must not be from around here."

It wasn't too hard serving coffee. Most people wanted it black without too much complication. The shop owner, Mat, did the more complicated of orders and showed Jack who to do them too. The shop was pretty popular with locals and cops alike. Mat took pride in that especially since it was only five years running.

"You'd never guess the money would be in coffee, Jack." Mat said wiping off the counter. "But here it is."

The door bells ringed and Mat looked over. "Congrats, kid. You finally get to serve your first set of blues."

Jack was surprised he hadn't seen any other cops in the past couple of hours. It was freezing out and the rain had started up again. Jack went over to the small table by the window the two cops took out a pen. It must've been there lunch break.

"Hey, you're the kid from the diner." It was the cop from yesterday. "Glad to see you still here. Guess Sal didn't scare you off after all."

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I'm from Detroit. It takes more than a scary story to send me running."

"Detroit, huh?" Joe smiled and met Jack's eyes as if he was looking for something. "How's the snow up there?"

"A lot less gray."

The other cop snorted. Lou, if Jack remembered correctly. "I'm from Pittsburgh. You should see it over there. New York's got nothing on that land of smog."

Joe looked down at Jack's name tag. "So your name's Jack? Didn't get it yesterday. How are you adjusting to the city?"

This cop seemed rather chatty, nothing like the cops back home. "Fine, I guess. It isn't too much of a culture shock."

Joe smiled at him again. "Good to here. Can you whip us up two black coffees and two plain sandwiches?"

"Yeah, sure thing." To be honest Jack wasn't so use to cops like this one. He wasn't sure how to respond.

Jack felt stares on his back and he pretty willing to bet that is was the Joe guy. There was something heavy resting inside of Jack's gut and he couldn't be sure if it was good or bad.

When Jack came back with the coffees and sandwiches, the red-headed cop had just gotten up and headed for the bathroom. Jack didn't feel uneasy at the thought of being alone with Joe but something still felt off, like he was missing a key link. He set down the cops orders and turned around to leave but he was stopped by the heavy warmth of a hand resting on his arm.

Jack froze. He inhaled slowly and turned around to face the man.

Joe was staring intently at his left wrist. He looked back up to Jack. "How'd you get that scar?"

Jack pulled his arm away abruptly. "I don't see how that concerns you, officer."

Joe's face became reserved and apologetic as he realized what he was doing. He knew a lot of people were not comfortable around cops and he wasn't making the situation any better for Jack. "

"Sorry, Jack." He ran a hand through his hair. "It's just that, I uh, seen a scar really familiar to yours. Didn't me to make you uncomfortable."

Jack didn't think he was lying but that make the heaviness in his gut disappear "Yeah, it's fine."

After the two cops left a few more piled in along with other customers but Jack was stuck in his thoughts. Something had felt off all day and it didn't seem to be going away. Jack pulled away from his thoughts and buried himself in work just as he would in a writing a song or playing guitar. He just needed to get his mind off things. He came to New York for a reason and he wasn't about to let a queasy stomach send him packing.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

**Blood Ties**

Jack spent the rest of the week with lead in his stomach and a constant nagging in the back of his mind that something was about to go wrong.

Perhaps it was because of the fact that he had lived in Detroit all his life and always seemingly needed to look over his shoulder, just in case. Just in case of something that may never happen. That's how people lived where he was from. That was the way you grew up in Detroit, there was no other way.

Jack heaved another box of creamer down from the storage closet and carried it the front to stock back up. The snow had picked up in the past few days and brought fierce winds with it. Mat had told him that this weather usually meant good business or total desertion. This time the store was flooding with business.

"See you later, Jack-Jack." Renzulli, one of the few cops Jack didn't mind, called as he headed out the door.

"Later, Renzulli."

Jack was left alone to close the coffee shop. Mat had left mid-morning in a panic after getting a call from his very pregnant wife. Their baby wasn't supposed to be born for another four weeks. Jack and another employee had been left to man the store for the rest of the day and ended being swamped with customers no more than twenty minutes after he left.

Jack finished cleaning up the front of the shop before heading out to lock the gate. It was still rather windy out and his fingers and ears were already losing sensation. He jogged to the back of the store to grab the trash and toss it. The bags sagged with the weight of its contents and made it all the more difficult to carry. Jack groaned one last time before tossing the bag into the bins.

The snow had stopped a few hours before but that made the cold no better and Jack was left regretting not taking advantage of his discount. He wrapped his scarf tighter, tucked his gloved hands into his coat pockets, and walked with his head down to avoid the front of the cold although it did little help.

He was halfway home to his apartments when he heard the tell-tell signs of a break in. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the night bit no alarm. If Jack was what was considered a good Samaritan than he would probably call the police but with no phone it was an opportunity lost. He quickened his pace and looked straight ahead wanting to avoid trouble. He didn't want his mother's worries to have reason to them. He had promised to stay out of trouble and he had meant it.

It was quiet for only a few moments before Jack heard several pairs of approaching feet behind him and could their large looming shadows in the yellow lamp light. Jack knew it wouldn't end well. He was a fighter; Bobby had made sure of that.

A car came speeding by and forced Jack to stop. The men behind him didn't and slowly made their way behind him. One of them was so close Jack could feel his breath on the back of his neck. The man picked at a loose thread in Jack's scarf.

"Hey, pretty boy. You know what today is?" A rough voice asked as he grabbed Jack's shoulder and forced him to face the crook.

Jack pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. "Friday."

The tall, older bald man narrowed his eyes. "You being smart with me, boy? Do you know who I am?"

"Someone who's too old to be playing a young man's game?" There were numerous times Jack regretted opening his mouth. This would later turn out to be one of them.

The man grabbed the front of Jack's coat and yanked him closer. His two lackeys stepped closer, one with a crow bar in his hands. "Ya know, I really don't like it when people disrespect me. It makes kinda angry."

Jack pushed at the man's chest. "Alright, Hulk. What do you want?"

"JT, don't let that little fucker disrespect you!"

"Shut up!" With a heavy fist Jack was knocked to the ground. "Give me the damn crowbar. I wanna teach this brat a lesson.

As soon as he had the crow bar in his hand Jack kicked out his leg and landed a foot directly on the man's crotch. The man howled and fell to the ground as he swung the crow bar down, hitting him in the shoulder. Jack ignored the stinging pain in his shoulder and kicked out again effectually kicking him in the face. His nose made a sickening crunch and Jack took advantage of the situation to grab the fallen crowbar and swing at the other two men. He hit one hard in the leg and the other in the head. The blonde dropped to the ground unconsciousness and the other was limping towards him. Jack ran for it and turned into an alleyway in hopes of escape. It seemed Jack had ran out of whatever luck he had before as there was now a high metal fence blocking his means of escape. He heard pained grunting behind him.

"You're gonna fucking pay for that."

Jack gripped the crowbar tightly and watched as the man approached. His face was bloody but he recovered from both blow and was angrier more than ever. The bald man lunged and tackled Jack to the ground, the crowbar flying from his hands. Jack's head hit the ground hard and when he opened his eyes he swore he was seeing stars. A punch to the cheek brought him back to reality. He had to fight. He was a fighter. Jack slammed his knee into the man's gut and stuck his elbow in his eye. The man retaliated by slamming his head into the ground once more.

The man got up from on top of Jack and tried to regain his composure. Jack was left heaving on the ground trying to figure out which way was up. "I'm going to make you hurt real bad now, kid. You're gonna wish you were dead."

He was was met with a swift kick to his ribs and several more to his torso. Just as another kick was about to come Jack gathered his strength and grabbed his leg, pulling him down to the ground with him. Jack got to his knee and took hold of the bald mans swinging arm, twisting it until it made a loud snap. The man screamed and curled into himself.

Jack took the chance to run. He could hardly see where he was going; there was blood in his eyes and broken street lights in this part of the block. But he kept running, running until he could hear the honking of cars and fast talking people. He wasn't sure where he was but Jack figured he could just get a cab. He wanted nothing more to go home. Which one he wasn't sure.

He took shaky breaths and wiped at the blood on his face. It was still rather wet. His vision was rapidly declining and his boy seemed to be giving out on him. He managed one more step before slumping against the wall.

"Hey, are you alright?" Someone was jogging towards him. The person's face and voice were familiar through the blur. "Shit. Hey, I need you to keep your eyes open."

"Dispatch, 10-34. Call a bus, man looks critical." Gentle hands rearranged his limbs until Jack found himself more relaxed. "You're gonna be alright, kid. I don't know if you remember me but you're gonna be alright."

Jack was too much of in a fog to remember much of anything but the man's voice was familiar and that was more than enough for Jack to believe him. He could hear sirens in distance and electronic chatter next to his ear.

Jack decided it was alright to close his eyes again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Blood Ties**

_Beep._

The air oddly smells less like smog and more like bleach and death. Jack opens his eyes only to hurriedly close them again to escape the sharp rays of artificial light shining down on him. He groans as he attempts to sit up, his body protesting with each movement, no matter how small. He finds it hard to breathe properly. Pain shoots out with each breath.

_Beep. _

Jack places a shaky hand on his face, trying to rub the sleep away. He winces when he presses into what must be a deep bruise around the corner of his left eye. He tries to stretch out his arms only to find that his left arm is in a sling and hurts like hell. His ears rung and he felt like his head had been slammed into the pavement.

_Beep. _

Wait. Jack tried to move again, this time with more success than before. He kicked his legs off of the bed and sat still until his eyes could focus again. It was as if he was in a fog. He knew where he was, he was in a hospital, but how did he get here?

_Beep._

_"You're gonna be alright, kid. I don't know if you remember me but you're gonna be alright." _

Jack groaned in pain, his head was pulsating with pain. He could remember the sirens and the bright lights of the city. He had been running, running from a man. Yes, that was it. He was jumped and managed to get away. Than there was a cop. A cop he knew but couldn't remember. Jack took a step forward, a hand gripping the IV pole, trying to find his clothes. He needed to get out of there. Another step step sent him to his knees. He couldn't concentrate with his head the way it was.

Jack wasn't sure how long he had sat there before the door opened. He didn't bother to lift his head, it just would have caused him more pain. The person ran over to him. A hand grasped his good shoulder and the other cupped his cheek to lift his head up. Jack met the concerned face of a cop he may or may have not been avoiding for the past week.

"What are you doing, kid? You're gonna hurt yourself even more."

Jack gave a weak attempt at pushing the man away but couldn't put the effort into it. "What do you care?"

The cop laughed. "It's my job to care. Now come one, we need to get you back in bed."

"Please, I'm a Mercer and Mercer's don't need no help. Especially from cops. At least that's what Bobby says."

"Really now? Well just humor me then."

Jack wanted anything but that. He attempted to continue his search for his clothes but was overpowered by the gentle hands of cop who might have well saved his life. He knew there was no getting away at the moment and he was in no shape to leave anyway. Jack allowed for the man to guide him back to the bed and slowly climbed back on. The policeman sat in the hard, plastic chair close to him.

"I don't know if you remember but I'm Joe Reagan." Joe's smile was slow and friendly. He took out a notepad and pen. "You've must've been in a real bind to get bruised up the way you are. You mind telling me what happened?"

The dirty-blonde wanted nothing more than to get cop out of his hair. The quicker things were explained the quicker he go home to his apartment. Jack groaned again, running a hand through his hair and absentmindedly lightly running over stitches in the back of his head. It looked like he wouldn't be washing his hair for a couple of days.

"I was walkin' home. I just got off from work and closed up the shop. Next thing I know there's three assholes trying to shake me down."

"What happened after they got your attention?" Joe looked up, his face full of concern for the strange boy.

"I pissed off the leader, I guess. His buddies got involved and suggested that I get a beat down for disrespecting him." Jack sneered at the last part. "Hit me with a crow bar but I managed to grab it and defend myself. Got away from dumb and dumber but their leader got to me."

"Would you be able to identify these men?"

"Yeah, no problem. I've got a good memory." Jack rubbed his eyes. "The leader gave me a real beat down but I guess playing hockey all my life was an advantage. I broke the bastard's arm."

"I got some pictures right here in a book. Would you mind looking through them and see if you can point out you attackers?"

Jack could already feel the appending migraine. "Yeah, sure."

After several minutes of silence and flipping of pictures Jack pulled out three of who he was sure to be his attackers. He watched as Joe's eyes grew wide.

"Something wrong, officer?"

"Uh, no. I just need to take this and your statement down to the station." Joe got up from his chair looking worried. "I'll come back to see how you're doing before they discharge you. I'll be seeing you."

Jack gave him a mock salute as he exited the door. Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead. He wanted nothing more than to get some sleep.

Jack doesn't get much sleep before he finds himself shooting up from the hospital bed, ignoring the pain, sweat dripping from his forehead. The fight had brought back bitter memories from Detroit and now they were once again haunting him in his dreams. For a brief moment he thought about going home. He didn't want to deal with this. He still didn't like the cops and didn't want anything thing to do with them. He knew cops from New York were even bigger hard asses than down in Detroit. They wanted to get the criminal and they made sure they would. He could leave now. Check himself out of the hospital an pack his things. He'd be back in Detroit in less than two days.

But no, he couldn't. He told himself he wouldn't. You reap what you sow, that's what Ma always told her boys.


End file.
